Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to an apparatus and method for efficiently providing meta data information for content and the content to a user, and more particularly, to a meta data information providing server that provides meta data information, a client apparatus, and a method of providing meta data information and content by the client apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional content providing service. A broadcasting service provider 110 transmits content and meta data information, such as electronic program guide (EPG) information, to a user terminal device 120 over a broadcasting network, such as terrestrial waves, satellites, and cables. The broadcasting service provider 110 extracts features from broadcasting multimedia content in order to generate meta data, edits the generated meta data, compresses content together with the meta data, performs synchronization and multiplexing, and unidirectionally transmits the content over the broadcasting network.
The user terminal device 120 unidirectionally receives and stores the meta data (such as EPG information) and the content that are provided from the broadcasting service provider 110 over the broadcasting network in order to provide the meta data and the content to a user. The user terminal device 120 shown in FIG. 1 includes a communication module for bidirectional communication in order to receive various services from a content service provider 130 that provides content over a bidirectional communication network. The content service provider 130 provides various services, such as information about the retrieval and position of content, interactive meta data, or content provided from the broadcasting service provider 110 to the user terminal device 120 over the bidirectional communication network, such as the Internet or Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
TV-Anytime is a technique for allowing efficient data transmission and enabling a user to actively watch content through bidirectional communication between the user and a service provider. TV-Anytime is designed to allow a user to select and view desired audio/video (A/V) content at a desired time in an environment based on a terminal having a large-capacity storage medium (i.e., a personal digital recorder (PDR)). In TV-Anytime, meta data is content-related technical information that allows a user or an agent substituting for the user to easily search for or select user-desired content. A/V content and EPG information meta data is based on unidirectional transmission, and some additional EPG information may also be transmitted bidirectionally.
However, such a service is based on an assumption that the user terminal device 120 is a home broadcasting receiver or a set-top box, and thus cannot be used when the user terminal device 120 is a portable terminal. For example, when the broadcasting service provider 110 provides EPG information over a broadcasting network, all broadcasting program information included in the EPG information is also transmitted. As a result, a portable terminal device can use the broadcasting program information only after it stores the EPG information in its high-capacity memory. Moreover, when the user terminal device 120 is a portable terminal device, there is a need for a method of efficiently obtaining desired content over a bidirectional communication network on a screen that is provided for content retrieval.